


Maru Found

by lesbian_valley



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Nurse/Patient, Sharing a Bed, Wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 14:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20837348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbian_valley/pseuds/lesbian_valley
Summary: Maru is going for a walk to clear her head, only to find her crush unconscious in the mines





	Maru Found

“Oh no [Player Name],” murmured Maru.

She’d been out taking a walk to clear her head, and decided to walk along the lake’s shore. As she was passing the mines she saw a figure limp out of the elevator and collapse. She immediately recognized the new farmer that had moved in to town - very few others went into the mines.

Maru instantly ran to help, taking in the sight of blood before anything else. The girl had slime streaked across her face and burns on her forearms from where the slimes had attacked her, as well as cuts and tears in her clothes from other dangers of the cave. There was a faint tinge of green still hovering around her head, from whatever powers lurked in the depths.

Maru carefully checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found it. She thanked the stars for her medical training as she began to assess the damaged girl. As she was worrying if trying to move her would injure her worse, the girl’s eyes opened weakly.

It took her a second to understand where she was, and who was in front of her.

“...Maru?”

“[Player Name], I was so worried! You have to be more careful!”

The girl smiled weakly, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m glad you found me though.”

Maru blushed and looked to the ground quickly, before focusing again, “Really though, how are you feeling? Can you sit up?”

[Player Name] grimaced, but nodded as she shifted herself to be more upright.

“Alright, let me help you back to my house. I’ve got some supplies I can patch you up with. You’re lucky it’s too cloudy to see the stars, or I might not have found you.”

Carefully, Maru helped the girl up and steadied her as she tested her movements. They limped out of the damp, dark cave into a very similar night. The wind had a biting chill to it though, and [Player Name] stumbled along as quickly as she could.

Maru pulled open the heavy wooden door to the house and [Player Name] all but collapsed onto the hardwood floors.

Demetrius heard the noise and called down the hall, “Maru? Is that you?”

“Yeah Dad, I’ve got [Player Name] with me. She got hurt in the mines.”

Worry was evident in Maru’s voice, and Demetrius hurried down the hallway to take a look. He stopped momentarily when he saw the blood, but then walked over to help guide [Player Name] to the lab.

“Can you take care of her or should we try to get her to the clinic?”

“I don’t know yet, but I want to do what I can from here. It will at least make it easier to transport her.”

Maru returned her focus to the farmer, who was now also her patient. The green tinge had faded, and Maru breathed a sigh of relief. She knew there was magic in the valley, but to her magic is just a phenomena that science hasn’t been researched. However, that didn’t mean she was equipped to deal with it at all, as a nurse or as a scientist, especially when one of her closest friends was injured by it.

She had enough supplies in the lab to clean the slime, dirt, and blood off the farmer, which made the damage look far less extensive. There were still a couple deeper cuts that had blood leaking out, and Maru focused her attention on those first.

“I’ll need to go get some supplies, sit tight and I’ll be right back,” Maru said, locking eyes with her patient.

[Player Name] nodded and watched her turn and hurry out of the room. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Moving still hurt, so she just waited for her nurse to return.

Maru appeared in the doorway again, arms full of bandages and medical supplies, looking a bit frazzled from the sudden urgency of the night.

She placed the supplies on the counter and turned to the farmer, still resting against the wall.

“Hey, [Player Name]... Are you still awake?” she asked, worry coloring her voice.

The farmer opened her eyes, and smiled weakly to reassure Maru, “I’m still here, I was just waiting for you.”

Maru smiled slightly at that, but focused on cleaning and bandaging the cuts, gently guiding the farmer’s movements as necessary to access her injuries.

“Thank the stars, you don’t need stitches. They should all heal on their own quickly, but you’re going to have to take it easy for a couple days. I know you’ve got the farm to run, but try to take care of yourself, and no extra activities like exploring the mines or fishing.”

Maru tried to make her voice authoritative, but it’d never been her strong suit. Still, the farmer nodded at her advice.

“I… Don’t think I’m up for any more mining at the moment,” she said with a weak laugh.

Next came the burns. They were mostly first degree, with small sections of second degree and could have burn cream applied to ease the pain and speed healing.

[Player Name] gasped when Maru put the cold mixture onto her skin.

“Sorry, sorry I know, but it’ll help a lot I promise,” Maru babbled as she worked, trying to reassure both her patient and herself.

After the initial shock of cold gel, [Player Name] relaxed into her chair, too tired to stay alert and trusting Maru fully. As some of the pain faded, she became more aware of Maru’s fingers against her skin. Moving quickly and deliberately, Maru certainly wasn’t lingering but the sensation of skin contact was.

Finally, there weren’t any more wounds to address and Maru started to clean up the rest of the blood and left over materials. The lab was strangely quiet, only broken by the occasional sounds of water running or supplies clattering together. Neither girl knew what to say, as the farmer was exhausted and the nurse too anxious to form a sentence. As the silence stretched on, a tension started to fill the room.

Finally, Maru didn’t have anything left to clean and instead clasped her hands together to stop herself from fidgeting as she turned to look at the nearly sleeping girl.

The farmer opened her eyes, and tried to sit up straighter as she realized Maru was done cleaning and it was now close to 1AM.

“Thank you… For everything, Maru,” she said quietly, her voice colored with emotion.

Maru nodded, unsure how to respond. Of course, she would do anything for the farmer, but she prayed to Yoba she would never have to find her like that again.

[Player Name] stood up, pushing off the arm rests of the chair to help her shakey legs, and began to limp towards the door.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!” Maru exclaimed.

“Home - I’ve taken enough of your evening, and we both could use some rest I think.”

Maru paused, considering. There wasn’t a guest bed in the house, and it’s not like hers would be big enough to offer [Player Name].

She scowled slightly as she replied, “Fine, but I’m walking you home. I’m not gonna have you pass out half way there and end up in an even worse state.”

[Player Name] nodded and Maru stepped over to her, slipping her arm around her back to help support her. Once again, Maru was the one to pull the door open, this time bringing a flashlight with her. Luckily, the farm wasn’t too far from the house if they took the mountain path. It was a little more rugged than going through town, but there was a well worn path and both girls were familiar with it.

[Player Name] hated needing help, but gratefully accepted Maru’s steadying hand while stepping over roots and down from rocks. Their progress was slow, but eventually they reached the glowing lights of the farm.

This time, [Player Name] stepped forward to push the door open for Maru, and made a grand sweeping gesture while leaning against the doorway.

“Welcome to [Farm Name], made inhabitable by your incredible mother.”

Maru smiled wearily, “She really has done a good job. But you’re the one that’s turned it into a home.”

She finished her sentence with a yawn, unable to hide how tired she was as it neared 2am.

“Come visit me tomorrow and I can change your bandages and check on the burns. I hope you have a healing sleep [Player Name].”

Maru stood on the porch, wanting to sit down just for a moment, but knowing she still had to walk all the way back up the mountain.

[Player Name] noticed the hesitation and slipped her hand into Maru’s.

“You should stay here tonight - it’s too late to go home alone. The bed is big enough, I even have some extra blankets if you want.”

Maru blinked at that suggestion. Her parents would be worried, of course, but they’d be even more worried if something happened and she didn’t come home tomorrow. And she was so tired…

“Plus, then you can make sure my wounds are doing alright in the morning, in case I can’t get back up the mountain tomorrow,” [Player Name] added, trying to fill the silence and give her a reason to stay, hoping it wasn’t too forward.

Maru nodded.

“You’re right, it makes more sense for me to stay to keep an eye on you. Are you sure it’s okay? I could sleep on the floor instead…”

“Maru, you probably saved my life tonight. I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor. If you’re uncomfortable sharing a bed, I’ll sleep on the floor. I’ve done my fair share of ground sleeping, I’m used to it.”

“No, no. That would make it harder for you to heal, we can share the bed.”

Maru felt her face flush and her heart speed up as she said it, but it was an innocent suggestion - they’d made it clear it was the most logical step at this point, and safest for them both. And she loved being in the farmers presence, spending nights together was something that had started to appear in her dreams. She couldn’t believe a perfectly plausible explanation for it had presented itself so neatly. If only it hadn’t come with such a steep price…

[Player Name]’s smile lit up her face, and she cursed herself internally for being so obvious. The brilliant girl had stolen her heart as soon as she moved to the valley. Maru’s laugh was the most beautiful sound, right next to listening to her talk about her projects and astronomy. She was warm and kind and nurturing and [Player Name] was determined to stay close to her.

[Player Name] was still holding Maru’s hand, and pulled her into the house, gently shutting the door behind them. She clicked on a lamp and pointed out the bedroom, offering to find Maru something more comfortable to wear and giving Maru space to get ready for bed however she chose.

Eventually, both girls snuggled into the bed, just large enough for two. [Player Name] lay on her back, and Maru was on her side with her arm tucked under her head, facing [Player Name].

“G’night,” [Player Name] whispered, glancing over at the sleepy girl next to her.

Maru smiled fondly, “Good night [Player Name].”


End file.
